If you listen to someone somewhere, one of these things is going to kill you. Thanks to Dr. Google and its magical powers, we're using the internet to not only diagnose our kiddos fevers and coughs, but to become doctors, research scientists and dietitians.

Every once and a while a few of you appear on my blog. Letting me know "why I'm overweight" and what precisely I'm doing wrong (because clearly, there's no way I am in control of how I look or am choosing to look like this. Why on Earth would anyone want to be on the thicker side?) Thankfully, the self-proclaimed nutrition experts are there to let me know where I went astray. Clearly, it's the fake soy meat we eat. And the vegan cheese. The vegan cheese that's free of that evil, evil soy, but contains other items that MUST be dangerous. Or sometimes, it's because I splurge when I'm out at a restaurant and have a Coke. Don't I realize what soda is going to do to me? Thankfully, you're there, trusty internet gurus, letting me know the DEEP, DEEP error of my way.

There's probably something you should know about me. I'm not a fan of people who assume things. Particularly, I don't like people who assume things about my life, or anyone else's for that matter, barring they don't actually know the person.

Something else you should know about me? I AM a big fan of MODERATION. Recently, I've had a few naysayers on my blog calling me irresponsible for having recipes with soy-based meats in them. I am by no means a nutritionist, dietitian or doctor. I don't pretend to be. Most of you aren't either. So let's leave it to the professionals shall we?

One reader actually informed me they can tell that I'm unhealthy because of my eyes and that I don't have a "glow." While I appreciate the concern, I'm going to continue to listen to my doctors (who beg to differ on your opinion of healthy) and not some "anonymous" poster. If you don't like soy meats, don't use them. I will admit this: in our household, we do eat the occasional veggie dog from time to time.

We don't eat seven of them a day and then have some fake chicken nuggets followed up by some soy burgers. That's not because I think soy meats specifically are going to kill me, it's because I think consuming, using too much of anything isn't good for you. Kind of like carbs. I love me some carbs. But if all I ate every single day was carbs, I'd be incredibly unhealthy. If someone sat around eating strictly meat all day for the rest of their life, their cholesterol may not be the best. Too much of anything is usually not a good thing. MODERATION.

Take for example our meal plan this week: we had mushroom barley soup and pretzel rolls for two days, lentil loaf with a veggie and mashed potatoes, an eggplant stirfry, big salads with chick peas and one day we had vegan meatball subs. For lunch, we had peanut butters and jelly, big bowls of broccoli or cauliflower, three bean salads and one day a veggie dog (that did not fall on vegan meatball sub day). Breakfast consisted of lentil sausage links, oatmeal, bananas or coconut yogurt. So out of 21 possible meals in the week, we consumed a fake "meat" product for two of them. TWO.

So please, please don't try to tell me why I'm chubby. Or that I'm "endangering" my children by letting them have a veggie dog. Instead, why don't you let ME do the talking about my life and if you like it, you can hang out and join the fun. And if you don't like it, you can move along to "helping" the next person.

P.S. It's the two miles on the treadmill and my morning coffee that are making me chubby, I know it!

5 comments:

Ugh stupid trolls. I'm sorry they're harassing you! You totally have a GLOW and you have gorgeous eyes. And you're totally right that it's all about moderation. That said, I've had days where I've had fake meat for three meals in one day with no shame. :-) It tastes good! But for the most part, I try and mix things up and keep my diet well-balanced. I try not to eat dessert every day. Maybe just every other day. ;-) And on a good week, I'll probably have fake meat for 5 out 20-something meals. The crazy thing is, those vegan police who are such anonymous assholes online probably aren't even vegan. They're just trolls. Ugh.

Did you get the picture from The Oatmeal? Does it make me a bad person to say that I look forward to your rant posts? I usually end up nodding in agreement and laughing out loud. Lots of people have the impression that vegans only eat fake meat and therefore are not healthy. I know I sure did. Then I started doing some research, and I have been proved wrong. :) Thank you for posting what your family does eat in an average week, I haven't made the transition yet, but I am edging towards it every day and it is blogs like yours that help. Advertising companies will jump on every new health fad just to make money and things that are good for you suddenly appear in EVERYTHING, and too much of anything is not good. Trolls? Well they belong under bridges. Your children are well fed and thriving, you are happy and shoot if you can run two miles a day that qualifies as healthy in my book! So raise a glass of your favorite beverage and thumb your nose at the naysayers!

Thank you ladies! Most of the time it makes me giggle, but the righteousness some people have about nutrition boggles my mind. I realize I'm not perfect, but I have such a hard time jumping on the "this will kill you band wagon" of foods. We do the best we can do every day, and sometimes, that does include some vegan buffalo "chicken" bites :D